FIG. 1 is a side view of steering elements of a vehicle. Vehicles include a steering column 10 that provides steering control from the steering wheel (not shown). The steering column 10 is commonly supported in the passenger compartment 12 by a column mount 14 and a column drop 16. The column mount 14 is provided in the floor or firewall 11 of the vehicle and provides a through support for the steering column 10 as the lower portion 15 of the steering column 10 extends out of the passenger compartment 12. The column drop 16 is a bracket that supports the upper portion 17 of the steering column 10 and holds the steering column 10 at the desired angle to the passenger.
The column mount 14 is a generally ring-shaped element having an aperture having an inner diameter to accommodate and accept the outer diameter of the steering column 10. Manufacturers provide a limited selection of aperture sizes to accommodate the various diameters of available steering columns 10. The realities of inventory control and economics dictate that some suppliers and retailers provide a very limited number of aperture sizes that only accommodate a few of the many sizes of steering columns 10. Customers, particularly custom car enthusiasts that desire column mounts outside of the limited size availability are forced into either conforming to one of the stock sizes or having a column mount 14 of a custom size made which can be prohibitively expensive.
It would, therefore, be highly desirable to have a column mount that provides vehicle manufacturers, dealers, aftermarket, and custom vehicle enthusiasts many size and configuration options while minimizing inventory burdens and high costs.